The Key
by WiCkEd PiPeR
Summary: The brides of Dracula have found a girl with stange powers. Will he allow her to stay with them or is she the key to one of his evil plots?
1. The Man With The Dark Voice

Disclaimer: None of the Van Helasing characters are mine throughout this story.

* * *

1

The Man With The Dark Voice

"Come here you little freak!" said a man with a dark voice. Morgan just ignored the man and kept on running. The man had been chasing her for hours. She didn't know who he was but she had a good idea who sent him. She kept on running until she came to a village. She ran into the village and hid behind a pile of wood. She turned around and looked at the man making sure she stayed out of sight. The man was tall and had on a dark, hooded cloak. He had to be from the lab, the doctor was still after her.

For the past year, she had been at a lab where people with strange powers were sent. They were called mutants. A year ago, she had discovered that she had the ability to manipulate electricity. She thought it was pretty cool until her parents found out about it.

She belonged to a rich family who all lived in mansions scattered around France. Morgan never felt like she fit in. All she wanted was a close family who cared about each other. Instead, she had a family who was too busy with world affairs to even pay attention to each other. Morgan only saw her parents about once a day. Her father was busy running his factories, while her mother held extravagant parties. It was not an environment where she felt loved.

Her situation got even worse when her parents found out about the powers that Morgan possessed. They made sure that Morgan was quickly locked away so no one could discover her powers and most importantly so the family reputation would not be harmed.

The place where Morgan was sent was horrible. There was a doctor who performed horrific experiments on the mutants. All of the people at the 'hospital' had different powers. The doctor there claimed he could correct the mutations. The truth was all he could do was torture the mutant until it died. Morgan had only by chance escaped. The experiments on her had not killed her. She had nowhere to go all she could do was run and hope for the best. Anywhere was better than the lab.

Morgan stayed crouched behind the wood. She knew that if the man caught her she would go straight back to the lab and this time there would be no escape. "Come out come out where ever you are", said the dark voice. Morgan remained still. "I know you are around here. I see your blood on the ground." Morgan thought to herself, how could I be so stupid? She had been cut in the arm earlier during her escape. Just then, she looked up to see the man towering over her. She had no choice; she had to use her powers. She grabbed his ankle, his body was instantly jolted, and he fell to the ground. Morgan jumped up and ran out of the village and into a nearby forest. She had to keep going because she knew the man would be on her trail soon.

The man came around and said, "I was just going to take you back to the lab, but now I'm going to kill you!" He stood up and was a little dizzy but found the trail of blood and was back in pursuit of Morgan. He followed the trail into the forest. The forest was dark and silent. The snow here was deeper and it was hard to walk in. this would surely slow down the injured mutant. He kept on running until he finally came to her.

"Here you are. Now it's my turn." Morgan was on her knees exhausted. She didn't have the energy for another jolt. The man grabbed a nearby club and hit her in the back. She fell all the way to the ground. She knew that she was not going to get out of this one. She tried to get up but she was hit again on the back. "How do you like it?" He hit her a final time and then pulled out a gun. "It's been nice knowing you." Morgan heard a shot and then felt a sharp pain in her back. The world grew dark and cold. Before long she was out. The man laughed and walked off. His job was finished.

* * *

This was yet another late night idea I had. Please let me know if I should continue.

P331


	2. The Sleeping Child

2

The Sleeping Child

It was a normal Transylvanian night, cold and dark, and the three brides of Dracula were out flying back to the castle. "That was a good feed", said Marishka. "Yes, he was perfectly aged", said Aleera. The brides just laughed. They kept on flying. Once they neared the castle Marishka pointed and said, "What is that?" The others looked down and saw a figure lying on the ground. "I don't know", said Verona, "Let's go see."

The brides cautiously approached the figure. Verona was the first to approach. She rolled the figure over and said, "It is a child." Aleera and Marishka walked closer. "Look at all of the blood", said Aleera, "Is she alive?" Marishka knelt next to the child and said, "Yes she is, but barely. What should we do?" Aleera and Marishka both looked at Verona. Even though the brides were evil, their maternal instinct seemed to take over. Verona replied, "Let's take her with us." Aleera quickly jumped in and said, "What about the count?" "We'll just have to convince him to keep her around, at least until she gets better." All of the brides seemed to agree, they would take the child back to the castle. Verona picked the child up and flew to the castle with Aleera and Marishka close behind.

When the brides arrived at the castle, it was dawn. Their master had already gone to sleep. Verona took the child to her room and laid her on her bed. "What do we do now?" asked Marishka. They all kind of looked at each other, what **_did_** they do now? "Well I think we should clean her up and bandage her wounds", said Verona. "Good idea. I will go and get some water and bandages," said Aleera. Aleera walked out of the room leaving Verona and Marishka with the child.

"Marishka, help me find where all of this blood is coming from." The brides examined the child and first they found the cut on her arm. "This is deep", said Marishka, "I wonder what happened to her." "I don't know but, look at all of the bruises all over her." Aleera came back with the water and bandages, "Here it is." Aleera walked up and sat down on the bed next to the other brides.

Verona took the rag and dipped it into the water. She then rubbed the rag over the girl's wound. It did not take long for the wound to be cleaned. "I'll put a bandage on it", said Marishka. Marishka carefully put a bandage on the girl's arm. "Where did all of this other blood come from?" said Aleera. "I don't know", said Verona, "Roll her over." The brides rolled the girl over and saw the wound on her back. It was still bleeding badly. "We've got to stop the bleeding", said Marishka with a concerned voice. Verona washed out the rag and then placed it on the girl's back. She kept on applying pressure until eventually the bleeding stopped. Again, Marishka bandaged the wound.

The brides continued to clean the child up. They got all of the blood out of her hair and changed her blood soaked clothing. Once the brides were finished, they placed her in Verona's bed and covered her up. They were proud of how well they had cleaned the girl up. "What now, she is still sleeping", said Aleera. "I say we take turns watching her", said Marishka. "Good idea. I'll take first watch. Then you Aleera and then Marishka." They all nodded in agreement. Aleera and Marishka left the room to get some sleep leaving Verona alone with the girl.

* * *

Is it ok? Do you think I should continue? Please review. 


	3. The Watch

3

The Watch

Verona sat on the bed beside the child. She was wondering where she came from. Verona had never seen so many bruises on a child. Who could do this to a child? I know I'm not the best person to talk about such things, but none of us would never feed on a child.

Even though the child's body was battered, Verona thought she was beautiful. She had shoulder length hair that was a dark brown. It was straight as a board. Her skin was light as if she had not been outside in a long time. The girl was a medium height and malnourished. Just where had she been?

Verona reached over, touched the child on the forehead, and felt that she was cold and shivering. She scooted closer to the girl, got under the covers and put her arm around the girl to warm her up. Before long the girl's shivering subsided and she warmed up. Verona then fell in a deep sleep.

* * *

"Verona…wake up. Verona…" It was Aleera. Verona slowly stirred. The time had passed quickly. "It's already time?" asked Verona. "Yeah. Looks like you got comfortable." Verona slowly got up and said, "She was so cold she was shivering." Aleera nodded and said, "So she has not been awake?" "No…not yet." Aleera traded spots with Verona. Verona stood a while at the door before leaving. She did not wish to leave, but she knew she had to get some rest.

Aleera made herself comfortable in a chair next to the bed. She was not exactly sure about the girl. Aleera sensed that there was something different about her. She wasn't an ordinary child. Aleera was not sure if this was good or bad.

Aleera noticed that the fire in the fireplace was growing smaller so she busied herself making a new one. She was still thinking about how the count was going to react to there being a human in the castle. She had the strange feeling that he would reject her. She finished the fire and sat back in the chair. She just sat there and pondered what would happen when her master woke up.

* * *

After a few hours it was time for Marishka to take over. "I'll take it from here." "Ok." Aleera got up from the chair and walked out of the room. Marishka was surprised that she did not say more.

Marishka walked closer to the sleeping child and noticed she was moving a little. Maybe she is coming around, thought Marishka. Marishka noticed that the child was not as pale as she was when she was found. This was a good sign. Earlier Marishka had her doubts about the girl living. Marishka was still tired so she sat in the chair next to the bed and slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

Morgan slowly stirred. The events of the night before were dazed. She slowly opened her eyes. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she looked around. Where am I? She looked around the room and realized she was in a castle. This can't be good, she thought to herself. She then noticed the woman asleep in the chair. She looked around thinking about how she could escape. She sat up in the bed and suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. The sharp pain clearly reminded her.

Morgan began to breath harder trying to alleviate the pain. It was not working. I've gotta get out here she thought to herself. She tried to ignore the pain as she slowly crept out of the bed. The cold air hit her body and sent shivers throughout her body. She quietly made her way to the door. She walked out into a long hallway. Which way now? She looked down the long hallway and saw some stairs. She slowly crept to the stairs. As she approached she heard voices. She stood in the shadows at the top of the stairs and saw two women talking.

"How long do you think she will be asleep?" said the redheaded woman. "I don't know, but it is probably time we go check on her", said the woman with the dark hair. The two women headed for the stairs. Morgan backed away and looked around for an escape route. She couldn't go back to the room she was in before. She crept to a dark corner and knelt in the shadows. She would hide until the women passed and then she would try to get away.

The women reached the top of the stairs when a voice sounded, "The girl is gone." It was the woman that was sitting in the room where Morgan had waked up. Damn, she thought to herself. Would her troubles ever end?

Verona looked around and spotted the girl in the shadows. "There she is", she said. Aleera and Marishka walked up next to Verona. "Come here we're not going to hurt you", said Aleera as she approached the girl. Morgan backed further into the corner, preparing to strike. Aleera kept getting closer to the girl until she was in reach. Morgan stood and grabbed Aleera's arm and jolted her. She screamed and fell to the floor. Marishka ran to Aleera's side. Aleera remained on the floor crying.

Morgan still was not strong enough to strike again so she ran away the best she could. "Marishka, stay with Aleera, I will go after the girl." Marishka nodded and Verona followed the girl.

Morgan was in a room full of armor. What kind of place is this? She was growing weaker and weaker. She decided her best bet would be to hide. She found a large suit of armor and hid behind it. She began to gasp for air because the pain was getting worse, she was not sure how much longer she could hold on.

Verona walked into the armory and knew the girl was in there. "Please come out, I promise I won't hurt you." Morgan stayed quiet. She didn't believe the woman. "Trust me, I can help you. I can ease your pain and protect you." There was a softness to the woman's voice that made Morgan want to believe her, but she was afraid that it was just another trick. Morgan felt her legs growing weaker. She began to falter and collapsed in the floor. Verona heard the girl fall and was quickly at her side. Although she had collapsed she was still awake.

Verona approached her slowly. The girl tried to back away but was unable to. Verona knelt and said, "I'm not going to hurt you." The girl said, "That's what everyone says, but it's never true." Verona moved closer and held out her hand, "I'm not everyone." Morgan sat there for a second and then took the woman's hand. She decided to cooperate. She figured her situation could not get any worse.

* * *

Well here's chapter three, I hope you like it. Please review. If you have any ideas for this story please let me know. Thanks.

P331


	4. Meeting

4

Meeting

Verona took the child's hand and said, "My name is Verona, what's yours?" The child looked at her and said, "Morgan." Verona smiled and said, "Hello Morgan, welcome to Castle Dracula." Verona moved closer to Morgan and said, "Come, let us go back to my room." Verona helped the child stand and then they walked together back to her room.

Verona and Morgan entered the room and saw Aleera being comforted by Marishka. Aleera was still shook up by the jolt. Aleera just glared at the girl. Morgan and Verona walked to the bed and sat down. "This is Aleera and Marishka. Marishka, Aleera, this is Morgan." Morgan looked at Aleera and said, "I'm sorry for the jolt." Aleera said nothing and left the room. Marishka got up and said, "It's nice to meet you Morgan", and then walked out of the room after Aleera.

"Don't worry about Aleera, she's just a little bitter because of the jolt she'll get over it." Morgan looked away and said, "Well I deserve it. I shouldn't have jolted her like that." Verona put her hand on Morgan's back and said, "It's ok. If some strange person came up to me I would probably do the same thing. Well, not exactly the same, but you know what I mean." This brought a smile to Morgan's face. She was glad to hear that someone wasn't afraid to be near her because of her strange powers.

"Well while you are here recovering you can stay in the room down the hall, it stays pretty warm. I'll prepare it later." "Thank you", said Morgan with a smile. Verona walked over to her wardrobe and grabbed a dark, heavy cloak. "Here this should warm you up. I'm sure you are hungry; I will go and get you something. Come." Morgan followed Verona out of the room and down the staircase into a large room. It appeared to be a great hall of some sort. The room was furnished with extravagant furniture. There was a large fireplace adorned with the figures of gargoyles. The floors were made of a dark polished wood. The walls had huge tapestries hanging from them. It was the most beautiful room that Morgan had ever seen.

"Wow, it's beautiful. You are so lucky to live in a place like this." "Yeah, I think we're pretty lucky." They walked to some chairs that were sitting in front of the fireplace. "Marishka, will you help me find some food?" "Umm…yeah." Marishka had not thought about food. Ever since they had become vampires they hadn't had a use for food. "Aleera you better stay here," said Marishka. Aleera nodded and sat in one of the chairs. "Well, we should probably go", said Verona. Verona and Marishka left, leaving Aleera and Morgan alone.

Morgan sat in the chair next to Aleera and said, "I'd like to apologize again for the jolt." Aleera looked at Morgan and said, "That's ok, I was just a little surprised. I'm sorry for being a jerk. So what happened to you? Who was after you?" Morgan looked away and said, "I'd rather not talk about it." Aleera looked away and didn't know what to do. They just couldn't sit there until Verona and Marishka returned.

Aleera shifted in her chair so she could see Morgan and said, "So, where did you come from?" Morgan was a little more inclined to answer this question. "Well my family lives in France. They are a rich family and have mansions all over France. They even have a few in Italy and Spain." "Really, Spain? You know my family is from Spain. I used to live there when I was a little girl." "Really, that's cool. I've never been there, but I've heard it is beautiful." Aleera smiled. She had not spoken of Spain in a long time. She remembered how her old home used to overlook the sea. "Yes, it was beautiful. Sometimes I miss the warm, sunny days."

"What brought you here to Transylvania?" asked Morgan. "Well…I met some people over here and we became friends. So then we decided to move to the area." Aleera knew that this sounded corny, but she was not sure what to say. She couldn't tell her the truth, and she wasn't sure how to tell the girl about the count. She figured she would leave that up to Verona. Morgan said, "That's cool. So you like it here?" "Yeah, I do."

At that time Verona and Marishka walked in with a sack full of food. It was obvious that they had stolen the food from a villager. Before the girl could turn around to greet them Aleera motioned to Marishka to wipe her mouth. Marishka realized that she still had blood on her mouth. She quickly wiped it off and both Aleera and Verona laughed.

Verona walked up to the girl and said, "We weren't sure what kind of food you like, so we picked up a little bit of everything. "Well, anything would be good right about now." Aleera got up and walked to Verona and quietly said, "Should we make a table or something?" Neither of them was sure. They were not accustomed to feeding mortals. Verona finally said, "Sure, I guess." Aleera took the bag of food and went to set a table for Morgan.

Marishka walked to the girl and asked, "Did you and Aleera get along ok?" Morgan laughed and said, "Yeah, she got over the jolt." "Good. Are you warm enough?" "It's just a little chilly, but I can manage." "Well, lets go and see if the food is ready", said Verona. Morgan followed Verona out of the room with Marishka right behind her.

They walked into the dining room where Aleera had set out the food. Morgan was so happy to see food. She had not had a real meal since before she was taken to the laboratory. She sat down at the table and dug in. "Aren't you going to eat?" asked Morgan. The three women looked at each other; they were beginning to realize that taking care of the girl would be harder than they thought. "No, we ate earlier", said Marishka. The brides all laughed because of what Marishka had running down her face earlier. Morgan didn't know what they were laughing about, so she just kept on eating. "Aleera and I are going to go ready your room. We'll be back later", said Verona. Morgan nodded and Verona and Aleera walked from the room.

The two women walked back up to the room they were going to fix up. They were silent until they were in the room. "Umm…Verona this room is pretty clean. Why did we come up here?" Verona shut the door incase Morgan came up. "We need to figure out what we are going to do when the count wakes up." Aleera had forgotten all about the count. What were they going to do? "I have no idea. Do you think he will let us keep her around?" "Even if he by some miracle does let her stay we still have the little problem of us being vampires." Verona was clearly becoming upset. "Verona, don't worry. I'm sure we'll figure something out. Come on let's go back down stairs. It will be ok."

Verona and Aleera met Morgan and Marishka on the way out of the room. "Finished?" asked Aleera. "Yeah, it was good." "You must be tired. Here's one of the spare rooms." The women led Morgan into the room. "It's not much", said Verona. "It's plenty, it's defiantly more than I'm used to. Thanks." "There's clothes in the wardrobe feel free to use them…we'll leave you to get settled."

The women left the room leaving Morgan alone. Morgan looked around the room. I like it she thought to herself. She walked over to the wardrobe and looked inside. She took out a long gown that looked good to sleep in and changed into it. She then walked to the bed and crawled in. She hadn't realized how tired she was. She was almost asleep when Verona walked in. "I'm sorry but I thought I should let you know where our rooms are. Mine as you know is next door. Marishka's is next to mine and Aleera's is across the hall. If you need anything let us know." "Thanks." "Good night", said Verona with a smile. She walked out of the room and shut the door. Within a few minutes Morgan was in a deep sleep.

* * *

So what do you think? I'd like to hear who you think Morgan should be closest to. I'm not sure which. Please let me know. Thanks a lot. (I know the chapter name is dumb but I couldn't think of anything else.) 


	5. Why Do I Smell Child?

5

Why Do I Smell Child?

The sun had just gone down behind the Transylvanian mountains. It was now just another cold, dark night, time for the count to arise. He flew up from the coffin he was sleeping in. He was expecting to be met by his three brides as usual, but instead he was met by nothing; there was no one. Where are my brides, he thought to himself. The count was puzzled. Maybe they were just out feeding.

The count walked out into the cold halls of his castle. The wind was blowing briskly. It made the hair on his neck stand up. He loved the feel of the cold air on his skin. He started down the hall to check and see if Verona was in her room, but then he caught the scent of something. What is that? The count stood for a moment smelling the air. No, it can't be… "Why do I smell a human in my castle?" he said aloud to himself. He walked further down the hall following the smell. He was led to the room next to Verona's.

He carefully opened the door not knowing what to expect. He peered inside and couldn't believe what he was seeing; a girl, a human girl was sleeping in the bed. The count walked up next to the bed. He steeped on a loose board making it squeak. The girl's eyes shot open. The count jumped back as the girl jumped out of the bed. "Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my castle!" said the count. Morgan did not answer, she feared the man. There was something about him that she didn't like. She just stepped back away from him.

The count stepped closer and said, "Speak I asked you a question." Again, Morgan said nothing. The count grabbed her by the throat and lifted her. Morgan began gasping for air. She then grabbed his arm. The count did not loosen his grip. The count felt his arm getting warmer; he didn't know what was happening. The next thing he knew, he was on the floor and the girl was running out of the room.

Morgan ran out of the room as fast as she could straight to Verona's room. "Verona…Verona there's someone else in the castle!" Verona got out of her bed and immediately knew what was happening. Morgan ran to Verona. "I don't know who he is; he just came in and demanded to know who I was." "It's ok I'll handle this."

The count entered the room followed by Aleera and Marishka. "Would you like to explain this Verona?" Verona stood between the count and Morgan and said, "Aleera, Marishka take her. I'll take care of this." Morgan walked to Aleera and they walked out of the room.

Once the door shut the count looked at Verona and said, "What is this madness! How dare you let a human in the castle without my permission! What were you thinking!" The count's eyes were now red with anger. "First, you need to calm down. We meant no harm by it." Verona put her hand on the count's arm and then took his hand. He seemed to calm down a bit. "Vlad, we found her in the woods and she was hurt. There was blood everywhere; we couldn't just leave her there. Then we brought her here and bandaged her up. Vlad, she is different. She has a strange power…" "Yes I know. I unfortunately experienced it. I am not inclined to keep her around. You need to get rid of her now!" Verona started to get angry. "She is an outsider to the world because of this power. You of all people should be able to understand. Vlad she has no place to go." "Come on Verona be realistic. What do you know about this girl? Huh?" "Not much because she doesn't trust anyone because of how everyone reacts to her. I was starting to get through to her, but thanks to you it probably did no good."

Verona walked to her balcony and looked out trying not to cry. She was so mad she didn't know what to do. She stood there for a moment and then felt two cold hands wrap around her waist. The count drew her close and said, "I can see this means a lot to you, so I will let her stay until she is healed. After that she's gone." Verona turned to him and said, "Thank you." The count and Verona shared a kiss.

Verona pulled away and said, "We need to get some things straight." The count was a bit puzzled. "Like what?" "Well, things like who you are." "That's easy I'm your husband." "But what about Marishka and Aleera?" "We could tell her that they are my sisters." "I guess that will work. Also, the whole vampire thing, lets keep that between us." The count smiled and said, "No problem. Well I guess I should go meet this girl." The count and Verona walked out of the room and down where Morgan was.

Morgan looked at the count and stiffened up. Verona walked to her and said, "It's ok. He's not going to hurt you." Morgan stayed silent not trusting her word. Aleera and Marishka backed off letting Verona next to Morgan. "Morgan this is my husband Vlad. He was off on business and came back early. He did not mean to harm you. Vlad, this is Morgan." The count drew closer and said, "I'm sorry, I was just surprised to see you. It is not often we have visitors." The count reached out to her and she backed away.

Verona just looked at the count. The count's face was flooded with anger, "Very well then. Marishka, Aleera come." The count gave a final glance to Verona and left with Marishka and Aleera. Morgan was relieved when the man left. She looked at Verona and said, "Verona, I know he's your husband, but I don't like him. There is just something about him…that's different." Verona put her hand on Morgan's shoulder and said, "That's ok, I understand. Come on it's late we should get back to bed. You can stay with me."

Verona and Morgan walked back upstairs to the room. "Go on I'll be in later." Morgan walked into the room. She climbed into the bed. She tried to sleep, but couldn't. Instead, she thought about everything that had happened over the past few days. She was glad she had someone like Verona around, but she was still worried about the count.

Verona walked into the room with the count, Marishka, and Aleera. "Vlad, I'm sorry…" The count interrupted, "Don't worry about it Verona. Just make sure her attitude towards me improves. No one in my castle will hate me. We are going to feed; you should stay here with the girl." "Ok" said Verona. She walked out of the room not knowing if the whole situation was going to work out. If she couldn't get Morgan and the count to get along something bad would happen.

Verona walked back into her room to find Morgan in her bed staring at the ceiling. "Can't sleep?" Morgan jumped and looked at Verona and said, "No, my mind is everywhere." Verona walked over and got into the bed. Morgan scooted over and put her head on Verona's shoulder. Verona was surprised but then wrapped her arms around the girl. Before long both Verona and Morgan were asleep.

* * *

Hope this chapter is good. Sorry it took so long to update. Thanks for all of the reviews it really helps with writing. If anyone has any ideas please let me know. Thanks

P331


	6. Our Condition

6

Our Condition

Morgan awoke early the next morning. Wow that was the first decent night's sleep I have gotten in a long time, she thought to herself. She looked at the sleeping woman next to her and smiled. She had never been treated so well by a group of strangers. She had never been treated so well by anyone. Why would they do that? She was still a little weary of the man, Vlad.

Morgan crept out of the bed trying not to disturb Verona. The cold air sent shivers up her spine. She defiantly was not getting used to the cold air. It seemed like everywhere she went it was freezing. How do they stand it? She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a long cloak and wrapped it around herself. Verona won't mind she thought to herself.

She decided that she would have a look around, since everyone was asleep what harm could it do? She walked out into the brisk hall and started walking. She kept going after she passed Aleera's room. She had not been this far down the hall. She peered into rooms as she passed. The hall just kept on going; it looked like it had no end. She finally came to a large door that looked different than all of the others. I wonder what's in there, she thought to herself. Morgan's curiosity got the best of her. She slowly opened the door and peered in.

The room was dark. She couldn't see anything. Her curiosity grew as she tried to see what was in the room. She walked into the room trying to get a better look. Her eyes started to adjust to the darkness and she saw the shapes of large furniture. She walked over to one of them and noticed it was a set of shelves covered with a cloth. What is this place? She turned to walk away and crashed into a table. Everything on the table fell in the floor making a noise that echoed through the room. Good job stupid, she thought to herself.

She turned once again, bit crashed into something different. A tall, dark figure stood in front of her. It was him, it was Vlad. Morgan was frightened now. He grabbed her arm and led her out of the room into a smaller one. Morgan struggled to get away, but the man's grip was too strong. The man released his grip once they were in the other room. Morgan backed against the wall. He came closer to her and said, "Don't worry I'm not going to hurt you. I just had to get you out of that room before you ran into everything."

There was a moment of silence, "What were you doing in there?" "I…I was just taking a look around. I wanted to see the rest of the castle." "You know if you wanted to see the castle, I could have showed you." Again there was another silence. "Here, come sit, we should talk." The count walked over to a desk and sat down. Morgan walked to the seat on the other side of the desk and slowly sat down.

"What do you want?" asked Morgan with a little edge in her voice. "Listen, if we are both going to be in this castle you need to be a little nicer. This is _my_ castle you know." Morgan got defensive, "I need to be nicer. Who grabbed who's throat yesterday." "Yes, but I think you gave as much as you got. Am I the only one who remembered the little shock you gave me?" They were getting no where. At this pace they could be arguing forever. The count spoke up and said, "Ok, how about we start over. I'll forget about the shock, if you forget about the throat grabbing. Deal?" "Fine" she said abruptly. "Remember what I said about the you being nicer thing?" "Sorry" she said.

"What do you say to a normal conversation?" asked the count. "I could try that." Morgan was now easing up. It had seemed their little argument had done some good after all. Morgan looked up at the count who had just lit a couple candles. "There's no use sitting in the dark." Morgan nodded and said, "What was that room?" "A library." "What, a library? Why do you have it all closed up?" "I don't use it anymore." "Why?" "Well I just don't need to anymore. Enough about me, I want to know something about you." "Like what?" "Well, for starters where are you from?"

"I was born to a rich family in France and lived there for the first thirteen years of my life. Then I spent a year in a place that I'd rather not talk about." The count leaned back in his chair and said, "So I take it you are fourteen?" Morgan nodded. "So when Verona found you, you were running from someone?" "Yeah." "Who?" "Another thing I would rather not talk about." "Ok" said the count. "What about this strange power? What is that all about?" "I'm not really sure. It only started about a year ago. I just had the power to control electricity. I thought it was cool until my parents…never mind." "What?" "Nothing. But now I think it is a curse. It makes me an outcast, and you have no idea what that can feel like." "I think you'd be surprised." "What." "Nothing, forget about it."

Morgan was starting to get comfortable with Vlad's presence. Although she was still a bit nervous, she felt things were getting better between them. "So where are you from?" "Oh I see, now that you had to answer questions I have to." "That's right." The count chuckled and said, "Well I am from here and I have been living here since I was born." "When was that?" The count hit a roadblock. Now what do I say? Should I tell her now or wait for her to figure it out later? He was faced with a hard decision. He was just starting to earn the girl's trust, would it be wise to tell her now? "Hello anyone home?" asked the impatient girl. "Well, you see…umm Verona, Marishka, Aleera and I are not normal." "What do you mean?" asked Morgan a little confused. "Well we kind of have something similar to your condition." "Really, like what." There was a silence. "Come on just say it." "Well we're all Vampires."

* * *

Thanks for the suggestions andreviews!They helped with this chapter. Now I would like to ask you how you think Morgan to react. Hope you enjoyed!

To Princess Airiana and Velfin I appreciated your suggestions and used them for this chapter.  
Thanks.

P331


	7. What's A Vampire

7

What's A Vampire?

Morgan just looked at the count and waited for more. She was a little confused, she had never heard of a vampire. "Ok…so what exactly is a vampire?" The count was shocked, "You're kidding right." "No I really have no idea what that is." He knew the girl was being honest because if she really knew what a vampire was she would be running away. "You mean to tell me you have never heard of me…you know Dracula." "Uh…no never heard of a Dracula."

The count leaned back in his chair and laughed. He was glad the girl didn't know what a vampire was, but she was not making his life any easier. "So are you going to tell me what you are or not", asked Morgan now impatient. Where to begin, he thought to himself. "Well…ok, but you have to promise me that you aren't going to freak out." "Sure."

Verona was just waking up as Dracula began his story. She noticed that the girl was gone. "I wonder where she went?" Verona said aloud. Verona climbed out of the bed and felt the icy air. She walked over to her wardrobe to grab a cloak. When she looked inside she noticed that her dark cloak was gone. Aleera, she thought to herself. Verona grabbed a different cloak and headed over to Aleera's room.

"Aleera, why do you insist on stealing all of my stuff? What did you do with my dark cloak?" Aleera was sitting in a chair by her fireplace reading something. She turned and glared at Verona and said, "Why are you always accusing me of stealing your clothes." "Because you are always stealing them." "You know, I'm not the only one who steals your stuff; Marishka steals it too." "Yes, but you're the only one who ever gets caught." The two women were silent for a moment. Verona walked up to Aleera and said, "What are you reading?" Aleera slipped the book down between the cushion and the chair and said, "Nothing, it's just an old book I found." "Really…what is it called?" Aleera got up and said, "It's just an old book ok. By the way where is the girl?" "I don't know. She was gone when I woke up." "That's strange. Let's go and see if Marishka has seen her. We can also check and see if she has your cloak, because _I _don't."

The two women walked down the hall into Marishka's room. "Still sleeping, what a surprise", said Aleera. "Marishka, wake up", said Verona. Marishka groaned and then turned over to face the other two. "What do you want?" "Well first of all did you steal my cloak? And second of all have you seen the girl?" "No, I didn't steal anything of yours because that is Aleera's job. I haven't seen the girl either." Aleera rolled her eyes, but then looked a little worried and said, "I'm concerned about the girl. If she went wandering around the castle and ran into the master she could be in trouble." Verona was a little shocked. Why would Aleera suddenly take an interest in the girl? "You're right I think we should go find her. If the count finds her first there will be trouble", said Verona.

The three women left the room and headed down the hall. They opened door along the way trying to locate the girl. "Where could she have gone?" asked Marishka. "I don't know this is a big castle, she could have gotten lost." They continued down the hall. Suddenly there was a loud crash. "She's in the library", said Verona, "and it doesn't sound good."

They ran into the library and found the count on the floor. Marishka ran to him and said, "Master are you ok?" He stood and said, "I am going to kill that little demon." "What happened?" asked Aleera. "Well, I found her wandering around in here and pulled her into my study. We began to talk and things were actually going well. Then we started talking about her powers, and somehow us being vampires came out." "What? Are you crazy? Why would you tell her that?" asked Verona. "Let me finish! So I told her about us and then she said she didn't know what a vampire was." The brides looked at each other surprised. "Yeah I know. So I decided that I would tell her what we were. I tried to explain things so she wouldn't freak out." "Well, you obviously didn't do it to well", said an amused Aleera. The count looked at her angrily and said, "Obviously. So the next thing I knew I was on the ground again. That kid is getting stronger everyday, I say we kill her now and get it over with."

"We can't just kill her", said Aleera. "What? Why not" he asked, "If I want her dead you can't do anything about it." Verona stepped forward and said, "Vlad, come on. How did you expect her to react? She is just a kid." The count stood silent with anger in his eyes. "Fine have it your way. If she does one more thing I will take care of it, and nothing will stop me." He started out of the room and said, "She has left the castle. If you want to get her one of you go, but just one. It will be daylight soon and I don't want all of you out. I must sleep now."

He walked out of the room and disappeared. "This isn't good", said Marishka. "Who's gonna go?" asked Aleera. They stood there looking at each other for a moment. "I don't want to go", said Marishka. "I will go", said Aleera. "Why are you acting funny, Aleera?" asked Verona. "We got off to a bad start and I would like to start over." Verona raised an eyebrow and said, "Fine, go ahead and find her, but be careful, you know what those villagers can be like during the daytime." Aleera nodded and flew out the window. "Why is she acting so strange?" asked Marishka? "I don't know, but I plan to find out" said Verona.

* * *

**I'm really sorry it has taken so long for me to update. I don't know how many times I have re-written this chapter. I finally have something that I think is ok. I hope you like this chapter. Please read and review. As always, ideas are always welcome. I'd also like to say thanks to all of my reviewers!**

**Princess Airiana: Thanks for the idea. I would have never thought of that.**

**P331**


	8. I Will Protect You

**Disclaimer: None of the Van Helsing Characters are mine.**

**AN: I'm sorry it has taken so long for me to update anything. I haven't had any time since school has started and a few things have come up as well. Hopefully I'll be able to update more soon. Hope you like it.**

* * *

8

I Will Protect You

Morgan wound her way through the thick Transylvanian forest. The moon was hidden by the dense clouds above, making it almost impossible to see. Morgan knew that the sun would soon rise; until then she would have to stumble through the dark. She kept on running hoping to get as far away from Castle Dracula as she could.

**_Don't freak out he said. How did he think I would react_**, she thought as she ran further into the woods._ **Morgan, we suck people's blood. Oh don't worry that's ok, suck all the blood you want. Yeah right!**_** _I've gotta get out of here. There's no way I'm going back to that castle._**

Aleera flew high above the forest looking for Morgan. _**Where could she be? I can't believe he told her. We'd agreed not to tell. It was pretty funny that she didn't know what a vampire was though.** _She decided to fly lower to get a better look.

Morgan started to wear down. She was still weakened by the attack from before. She slowed to a walk, hoping she was far enough from the castle. She noticed that it began to snow. _**Oh great, that's just what I need.** _She pulled the cloak tighter around herself to warm up. She looked around hoping to find a place to hide. She looked to the right and saw a small opening in some rock. She walked over to it and found it was a cave. **_Well this will have to do. They'll never find me here. _**

She walked inside the cave and looked around. She couldn't see much just darkness. She felt her way along the walls deeper into the cave. She kept going hoping to find a good spot to rest when her foot slipped off the edge of what seemed to be a pit. She slipped off and held on to the ledge for dear life. She looked around trying to find a way up, but found nothing. Her grip got weaker and weaker, until she could hold on no more. Her hands gave way and she fell into the pit below.

Back at Castle Dracula Verona stood wondering why Aleera had such a change of heart. _**Something is up. Aleera would never let go of a grudge so quickly. In fact, she's never let go of a grudge.** _

Verona walked down the cold halls of the castle and made her way to Aleera's room. She slowly walked in making sure she wasn't seen by Dracula or Marishka. She walked up to Aleera's chair and began looking for the book that Aleera had earlier. Something wasn't right about the book, especially since  
Aleera was reading it. She looked and looked but could not find it. **_Where could she have put it? Why would she be hiding it?_**

Meanwhile Aleera was still searching for Morgan in the forest. Suddenly she smelled something…it was blood. She flew down and landed. The scent was stronger. She turned and walked closer to the source. She kept walking until she reached a cave. The scent was even stronger there. She cautiously walked inside. **_This is probably a werewolf den. I'll have to be quiet._** She kept walking until she reached what looked to be a pit. **_The smell of blood is strongest here. _**She peered over the edge into the pit. She could see something in the bottom, but wasn't sure what it was. She transformed and glided down to the bottom of the pit. Once she reached the bottom she it was clear that the figure was Morgan.

She transformed back into her human form, knelt down beside the girl, and said, "Morgan, are you okay?" She touched the girl's face, which was cold and thought **_oh no, she cannot be dead. _**Just then, Morgan's eyes shot open. "Get back you demon!" she shouted. Aleera jumped at the sound. "Shh, not so loud. You don't want them to know we're here." Morgan tried to move but to no avail. Aleera looked at the girl and noticed a spike protruding through her leg. "Listen kid, I'm not here to hurt you." "Right how am I supposed to believe that? You suck people's blood everyday. You are nothing but demons."

Aleera rolled her eyes, "And what of the people in the laboratory? Are they demons, or merely evil men." Morgan's was shocked, "What? How do you know about the lab?" Aleera didn't mean to let that slip. There was no use in lying about it now. "Well, I found this book with your clothing and I've been reading it." There was a brief silence and then Morgan spoke, "My journal, I thought I'd lost it the day I escaped." "My point is, how could we be any worse than them? We're not out to hurt you." Morgan thought for a moment and then said, "What about that man, Vlad?" "Morgan, come with me and I promise I will protect you." Morgan nodded and Aleera said, "Come on, we must get back."

Aleera looked at the spike through the girl's leg and noticed that the blood had frozen the spike to her leg. Aleera looked at the girl and said, "I'm sorry," then quickly pulled the girl's leg from the spike. The girl grimaced in pain as Aleera said, "It's okay, you're free now. I'm going to transform now; do not fear me." Aleera transformed and fear grew in Morgan's eyes. "It's alright, it's still me." Morgan slowly held out her hand to the creature. Aleera grabbed her hand and picked up Morgan. "Hang on tight," said Aleera as she flew out of the pit and through the cave.

When they flew out of the cave, they were hit by an icy blast of air. The blizzard had grown to the point where Aleera could hardly see. Aleera felt the girl shiver in her demonic arms. She sped up trying to get the girl to heat faster. Within a few minutes, Aleera landed on the balcony of her room. She put the girl in the chair by the fire and then called for Verona and Marishka.

* * *

**Please review and let me know what you think.**

**P331**


	9. Well Well Look Who's Back

9

Well Well Look Who's Back

Aleera stayed with Morgan as she waited for Verona and Marishka. Aleera just looked at the girl. She smiled and pushed Morgan's hair to the side out of her face. "We're going to get you all cleaned up and everything is going to be fine," said Aleera. Morgan took Aleera's hand and said, "Aleera?" "Yeah?" "Please don't tell them about the Journal. I don't want them to know." Aleera smiled and said, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." "Thanks."

Marishka and Verona rushed into the room and met them. "I'm so glad you're okay," said Verona as she knelt next to the girl. "Hey Marishka, will you go get some water and bandages?" asked Aleera. "Sure, I'll be right back." Marishka rushed out of the room. Aleera knelt in front of the girl and pulled the cloth off her leg. Both Verona and Aleera jumped at the sight. There was a piece of bone sticking out of the skin. "What happened?" asked Verona. "I found her in a pit with a spike through her leg," said Aleera.

Marishka came into the room and said, "Here, I got it." Marishka flinched when she saw the bone sticking from Morgan's leg. "Wow that's not good. Should I get Vlad?" asked Marishka. "Yeah, we'll probably need him," answered Verona. Marishka left again to go get the count. "Does it hurt?" asked Verona. "No, not anymore. I can't feel it," said Morgan. Morgan looked at her leg to see what they were so worried about. She knew why she couldn't feel it when she saw her leg, it was defenatly broken. Tears welled up in her eyes at the sight. "No, no don't cry it will all be okay," said Verona comforting the girl.

Just then the count walked into the room and said, "Well well look who's back." Verona shot him a look and said, "Not now." "What do we have here?" he said walking up to her. He looked at her leg and said, "Yeah, well it's broken. Aleera, go get stuff for a splint." Aleera hesitated before leaving the room, she wasn't sure if she should leave Morgan or not. Vlad picked the girl up and put her on the bed. He remove the remaining cloth from her leg and fully exposed the wound. He attempted to realign the girl's bones, but was unable to because she struggled too much. "You're going to have to hold still if you want me to fix this, kid," said the angered man. He tried again but failed. "Marishka, Verona hold her down." The two women tried to hold her still but they couldn't.

Aleera came back into the room and put the splint materials on the bed and saw the tears in Morgan's eyes. "What did you do to her?" asked Aleera. The count rolled his eyes and said, "Well I have to realign her bones but she won't hold still." Aleera walked to the head of the bed and took the girl's trembling hands. "It's going to be okay, but he has to realign them in order for you to get better. You have to be still," said Aleera. Aleera looked at the count and nodded. The count began realigning the bones. The girl flinched but did not struggle as she did before. She just kept her gaze fixed on Aleera. The count quickly splinted the girl's leg and said, "There, all done." Aleera smiled at the girl as she wiped her tears away.

The count gazed out of the window and saw the sun peeking over the trees. "I'm going to bed. I'll see you all later," he looked at Morgan and said, "No more running off." He walked out of the room leaving the brides and the girl alone. "You must be tired. You should rest," said Verona, "we'll leave you alone. It's time for us to sleep too." Verona and Marishka began to walk out of the room when Marishka turned and said, "Aren't you coming, Aleera." "Uhh, no I'm not really tired right now. I think I'm going to stick around for a while." "All right," Verona. "Sleep tight," said Marishka as they walked out.

Aleera sat down on the bed next to Morgan and said, "Are you okay?" Morgan nodded as her blood shot eyes tried to close. "You must be exhausted, I'll leave you alone so you can sleep," said Aleera. "No, wait, could you stay with me tonight?" asked Morgan, "I still don't trust them." "Morgan, you have nothing to worry about; my sisters would never harm you." "I still don't trust them." Aleera thought for a moment before saying, "Okay, I'll stay." "Thank you."

Aleera smiled and crawled into the bed next to the young girl. Morgan scooted over best she could as Aleera took her in her arms. Within a few minutes both child and demon slept.

* * *

**There's chapter nine, sorry it took so long. Hope you like it. Please tell me what you think.**

**P331**


	10. The Child is the Key

**Disclaimer: None of the VH characters are mine.**

**A/N: I am sooooo sorry it has taken so long to update. I'm working on another story with another author on this site and it's taking a lot of time and energy. I will try to update this one more often though. **

**Well here's chapter 10 I hope you all like it!**

* * *

10

The Girl is the Key

That evening, Aleera woke before all the others. She was full of energy and ready to go. Aleera almost forgot where she was for a second. She felt somewhat normal. She felt good. She looked over at the still sleeping girl and smiled. _Who would have thought a child could make me feel so good. _She carefully got out of the bed, not waking the girl. She walked over and looked out off her balcony at the dense Transylvanian forest. The sun would set soon and her master would rise.

She turned and walked over to her fireplace and removed a loose stone. Inside the hole was the journal. She took it out, sat in her chair, and began to read.

November 4,

Today is my birthday, but you would never know it. Days here run together. It is like one long day, a terrible day that will never end. Sometimes I just wish it would. I wish this would all end and my suffering would stop. They came today to my cell and took Elena, my cellmate. I tried to stop them, but it was no use. Once they took her, I knew that that would be the last time I ever saw her.

She struggled as they took her away her last words to me were be brave, one day you will find your way. I could hear her screams in the laboratory. They kept getting louder and louder until they just stopped. I knew then that she was gone, and my time was running thin.

She was the best friend I ever had. She was too a mutant and could move things with her mind. I cried and cried when I heard her pain, but cried even more when her screams stopped. I want to escape this place so I can find my way as she said I would… I will never forget her.

As Aleera finished the entry, a tear ran down her cheek. _How horrible it must have been for her, she is only fourteen, and she has been through so much. _Aleera turned to look at the child who began to stir. She put the book away and sat on the edge of the bed. "Feeling better?" asked Aleera. Morgan nodded and said, "A little bit." "Good, I'll go get you some food," said Aleera as she got up and walked out.

* * *

Meanwhile on the other side of the castle the count awoke. He had it; he knew what he would use the girl for. He laughed to himself aloud as he thought of his plan. Now he just had to get his brides on his side. He knew he would have no problem with Marishka; she would always do as he asked. He also knew that Verona would help because she would always sacrifice a life to get what she truly desired. Now Aleera, she would be more difficult to persuade. He didn't know why she was so attached to that filthy human, but he would soon bring it to an end.

The count left his room and headed for Marishka's room. He walked down the hallway quickly, excited about his plan. They would finally have what they had desired the most. He walked into Marishka's room to find her just getting out of bed. "Do you ever get up on time, Marishka?" said the count. Marishka jumped and said, "Master, you scared me." Marishka stood and embraced the count. "Come, there is something I need to discuss with you and Verona." The count held out his arm and Marishka took it as they headed for Verona's room.

They walked into Verona's room and found her gazing at the stars. She turned as she heard them walk in. She was surprised to have such an early visit from the count. "What's the occasion?" asked Verona. "Have a seat," said the count to his wives, "I have a brilliant plan." "What is it?" asked Marishka anxiously.

"I know how to awaken our children," said the count with an evil smirk. The eyes of his brides lit up instantly. "How my lord?" asked Verona, "We've tried everything and failed each time. Without the monster we cannot awaken them." The count smiled and said, "We have not tried everything…" There was silence before Marishka said, "The girl?" The count nodded, "The girl is the key. Every time we failed before we could not keep the air electrified. This girl however has the ability to manipulate electricity." Verona cut in and said, "If we put her in the machine, she could awaken them." "Exactly," said the count. Verona's smile faded to a frown when she said, "But that would surely kill the child." "Yes my dear Verona, but just think of it. Instead of just one child that isn't even ours, we will have thousands of children that are all ours," said the count sitting between his brides.

"Let's do it," said Marishka without hesitation. The count looked at Verona waiting for her answer. After a moment Verona spoke, "That is a great idea. When do we begin?" Dracula smiled and said, "In a couple days, we must call Igor in to prepare the lab. It will take a while. But soon, our children will live."

"What about Aleera?" asked Marishka, "I do not think she will cooperate." The count nodded and said, "Do not speak of it to her. I will tell her when the time is right. I feel she will just get in the way if she knew." He put his arms around his brides and said, "Soon my brides, our children will rise."

* * *

**So what did you think? Like it hate it? Please review and let me know what you think.**

**P331**


End file.
